Full Circle
by Pedantic Sheep
Summary: Everything passes eventually, and people die, even the reincarnations of angels. But life goes on, and there will always be a new beginning.


**Angel Sanctuary: Full Circle**

**Disclaimer:** Angel Sanctuary and all characters mentioned here belong to Kaoru Yuki. Don't own nothin', 'cept maybe your head, if you try to sue.

**Warnings**: Pretty non-existent plot, slight OOC, angst. Second-time fic, and first time writing for AS, if that counts as a warning.

* * *

Sara blinked, looking about at surroundings that seemed familiar in a muzzy way. She did not make any attempt to explore, instead sitting down and hugging her knees, as though waiting for someone. Someone who, moments later, popped into existence directly beside her and offered her a hand. Unsurprised, she looked up at him, affection clearly written in her eyes as she took the proffered help up and stood. "Idiot."

The man, brown-haired and brown-eyed and bearing an uncanny resemblance to her, snorted, even as he returned the affection by latching onto her hand. "Are you going to try and deny that you'd have done the same thing? After being dragged like that through all three realms and beyond, there is no way I'm letting something as insignificant as this separate us again."

She smiled sadly. Only _he_ could possibly call death an insignificant event. "We probably will get separated anyway. We'll have to be reincarnated after all."

The man looked away, though not before Sara saw his jaw clench with a fierce determination and resolve that she'd not seen in him since… that day. After _that_ event, there simply hadn't been anything else that could possibly require such tenacity from him. Not unless it involved her. She felt strangely flattered by that. When his voice came, she smiled again, recognizing it for what it was. "Then… they can bloody well reincarnate us together. Again." He tightened his fingers around hers. "Shall we go?"

They walked, hand in hand, a peaceful silence between them as they both remembered past trials and past deeds. Eventually they came to the river, boarding the boat with nary a moment's hesitation. Pulling his sister-lover close, the man muttered dryly. "Well, this _does_ bring back fond memories. Don't touch a single drop of the water, Sara. Beautiful as the Lethe may be, it'll make you forget everything."

"What's the point? It'll happen sooner or later," a fellow passenger spoke up.

"Then I'd rather it happen later, thank you. I still have people I want to visit," he replied curtly, as the boat came to a halt at the opposite bank. Their companion shrugged, gesturing to their waiting escorts. "As if they'll let you."

Golden-brown eyes raked across the scene. "They'd better. And it's none of your business—_ow_!" He turned to his sister. "What was that for?"

"You were being rude, Set," The long-haired beauty retorted, ignoring her lover's subsequent mutters. He would soon get over it.

Sure enough, after a while of rubbing his head a looking affronted, Setsuna Mudou began to glance about with interest. "Huh. Security wasn't this efficient when I was here the last time. No guards, for one."

"And it's probably your fault that they decided to get some."

The young man grinned, ignoring the incredulous looks from the spirits all about him, and chuckling in the face of the guards' glares. Sara punched him in the arm. "Stop that; you're unnerving everyone."

Yelping, Setsuna jumped aside, narrowly missing getting stabbed by a guard's spear. Again ignoring everyone's murderous glares, he laughed. "I can't help it! You find this as funny as I do."

Lovely brown locks shook "Not really. My memories of this place are vague at best. I wasn't exactly in the best of shapes when I was passing through here."

It was this statement which sobered Setsuna where nothing else had, and he finally quieted, though he continued to peer eagerly at everything as though he were on a sightseeing tour rather than in the halls of Hades. So much so that when they stopped, he nearly bumped into the guard directly in front of him, and was only prevented from doing so by an amused Sara Mudou.

She was the first to catch sight of the approaching figure. Eyes widening in shock, she drew in a sharp breath. "Him!"

Although her outburst was made mostly out of surprise, everywhere about her other spirits drew together in genuine fear of the scythe-wielding entity. Even the guards seemed somewhat apprehensive. Setsuna on the other hand, straightened himself up, eyes narrowing in a piercing gaze. A few tensed moments passed, and then he relaxed, a look of tenderness which Sara knew and loved appearing on his face as he murmured softly "Good; he hasn't created a new mask. I had been afraid of that possibility."

Confused as she was, there was no time to ask her brother what he had meant, for in the next instant, his mouth opened, and he bellowed a greeting that had everyone, angel included, cringing. "Oi! _Uriel_, you bastard! What took you so long, and why haven't you been visiting?" And then, as though completely unaware of the bizarreness of it all, he dodged past the guards and launched himself straight into the arms of Uriel, angel of Earth, Death and Judgment, and guardian of Hades. Bemused, the former suitor of the angel Alexiel glanced up to see Sara approaching at a more hesitant pace. In a soft, gentlemanly voice, he inquired, "Gab—no. Sara Mudou?"

Blinking, she nodded. He was still as she remembered; tall, ebony-winged, with long raven tresses obscuring about half his face. Possessing of a cold and deadly grace and clad all in black, he had frightened her the first time she had met him in that fateful trial, even if he had been on her side. They had never gotten a chance to acquaint themselves properly after that, and meeting him now, in this manner, seemed distinctly odd. Even odder was the look of amused resignation on that coldly beautiful face as he pried the former messiah off of him. Turning to the guards, he spoke wryly. "I think we can forego the Confession for these two."

This was evidently unprecedented, for the guards immediately began to protest, expressions an identical look of horror. "Uriel-sama!"

"It is all right."

Stepping away, Setsuna grinned once more. "Relax already; I'll still get judged and placed, never you worry. There just won't be a confession, that's all. Besides," he continued, waving a flippant finger at the executioner-judge of souls, "this guy already knows about my life, my past lives, and everything I've ever said or done that was of importance even better than I do myself. Now sod off. We have things to talk about."

The guards bristled, looking to Uriel as though for help, and were chagrined to see him nod in confirmation. Not daring to push their luck, they began to slink away, pushing the rest of the group along with them. Uriel stood watching them go before turning to lead the way. Then, in a completely deadpan tone, remarked, "You forgot to mention that sitting through a long account of _your_ life would have been unbearable."

Predictably enough, the comment caused Setsuna to explode into a full-blown rant that expressed his indignation at the world, ungratefulness in general, and Uriel in particular. Sara gave a long-suffering sigh, to which the angel Uriel responded, shockingly enough, with a wink. He let the elder Mudou run on for a few seconds more holding up a gloved hand. "All I meant, Setsuna, was that it would be extremely discomfiting to have my confessor turn into a confessee," he said, lightheartedly. Nevertheless, something in his manner caused Setsuna to glance sharply at the speaker. Stopping short, he crossed his arms, fixing Uriel with a glare.

"You _idiot_. "

The black-feathered angel grimaced, and Sara could see the distant look of pain in his eyes as he tried to avoid her brother's eyes. "Setsuna, I—"

"No, listen." Setsuna Mudou, reincarnation of Alexiel, moved closer, reaching up to touch the other's face "She—we—hold _nothing_ against you. If anything, _I_ owe _you_. I am glad—and honored—that this last stage should be presided over by a friend, and I would have been extremely disappointed if you had not shown up."

She didn't know how long they stayed that way, but it was with a breath of relief that she saw the angel of death smile gratefully and break away, and they continued down the path, into a house surrounded by lush greenery. "Thank you." Then—"I hope you realize that you have shot my reputation to bits?"

Making a rude noise, Setsuna retorted, "_What_ reputation? And you still haven't answered my earlier question. Where the hell—never mind. _Why_ the hell haven't you been visiting? You were supposed to help out in the restructuring of heaven, not hermitise yourself down here again! You have no idea how many times I've had to listen to both Raphael and Michael—_your_ comrades—whine at me about this, that, and the other, just because _you_ weren't on hand."

"Exactly," Uriel muttered. Not wanting to give the other a chance to start up again, he called out "Doll! Some tea if you please; Setsuna and Sara Mudou are here!"

There was a relaxed pause as the cheerfully dedicated doll appeared with the tea and poured it out. Then Uriel raised an eyebrow. "I _have_ been keeping tabs on everyone you know. If I had thought that help was needed, I would have given it."

"Hah.", came the reply. "And you really ought to do something about the landscaping out there. The clichéd metaphors make me wince just looking at them."

Serenely, the guardian of hell continued to sip at his tea. "I would agree with you, except that landscapers seem somewhat lacking here in Hades. I cannot for the life of me figure out why."

There it was again. Sara stared at Uriel, intrigued, yet not wanting to seem rude. Her brother had always described the angel Uriel as being insufferably serious, and their one encounter had only served to reinforce that impression. Had he really changed so much in the time after the battle?

"Oh ha-ha-ha, very funny. You're the angel of _earth_ for goodness' sakes—"

"—and I'm sure he has better things to do with both his time and power than landscaping," Sara cut in, giving her lover a mock glare. "Just because _you've_ become a lazy bum, doesn't mean…"

And it went on from there. Despite his reputed reticence, Uriel turned out to be a genial host, and the conversation flowed easily from topic to topic. It seemed more like a catching up on gossip really: Raphael and Michael are running heaven now and doing a damn fine job of it, they've introduced lots of new policies, I expect the paperwork must be horrific; yes Raphael has finally settled down with Barbiel; no Michael shows no inclinations whatsoever to do anything of the sort, but he _has_ mellowed, stabilized, doesn't go _non compos mentis_ as often; but yes the both of them are even closer friends than before, strange but wind does match with fire after all; hell still seems a big mess, but it seems that one, yes that mad hatter Belial isn't it, is coming out on top together with some Count or other; Kurai's _finally_ gotten hitched, and about time too, and you bastard you didn't even turn up, no of _course_ just sending a present isn't enough; that business in our garden was you wasn't it, figures, _normal_ people just drop by or give a call or send a letter, but noooooo, the great Uriel has to send his messages via _Morse-code flowers_, moon lilies to boot, nearly gave us both a heart attack…

It was a meeting between friends, and for a moment, they forgot about everything else and the obstacles that still lay in their paths. Duty could only be put off for so long, however, and the conversation dwindled to a halt, with all three parties drinking the last of their tea and knowing exactly what was to come, what had to come, and yet not knowing how to broach the subject. Unsurprisingly, it was Uriel who at last spoke, voice soft and ringing with an odd mixture of authority, reluctance, and sorrow. "It is time."

"Yes." Sara Mudou.

None of the three made any move to stand. Uriel had never tried this sort of thing in his own dining room, yet it seemed right somehow, surrounded by plant life and partaking of a last meal. Voice growing stronger, he continued. "Before that however, there is one last matter." Grey eyes rose to meet both Setsuna's and Sara's in turn. "I meant it earlier, when I said I could not bear being your confessor. Neither could I bear it if I had to be your judge. You are… different." A hand rose swiftly to forestall the protests already forming on the siblings' lips "No. You are. It is agreed. And like certain others, you have a choice."

Neither Mudou made a sound. Instead, Setsuna reached again for his sister's hand.

"I would like for both of you to reincarnate as angels. To take up again the roles you were first born to fulfill. To return to your powers and your positions and to become again what you truly are."

Now Sara tilted her head, confusion clearly written across her features. "But… Setsuna is not Alexiel. And neither am I the angel Gabriel. Back then, we seemed positively schizophrenic, with our respective angels being completely separate personalities from us, and Setsuna said he felt Alexiel retreat into dormancy again at the end. So how…?"

Uriel shook his head. "You are the reincarnations of the angels Alexiel and Gabriel. Your souls are extensions of theirs, and thus there will always be a part of you that is undeniably _them_, a part of you that is capable of holding their powers. I am not asking you to reincarnate _as_ Gabriel and Alexiel. I am merely asking you to reincarnate as angels who can fill their roles." He paused, glanced at the siblings' faces, then tried again. "Think of it this way. Setsuna, while all that was still going on, was capable of utilising Alexiel's powers to their fullest extent, despite the fact that Alexiel was not in control. He was merely unable to summon them at will, and had to rely on strong emotions to partially awaken the angel of war, because he is human, not angel, and such powers do not come naturally. Had he been an angel, he would have been able to function perfectly as if he were Alexiel herself."

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Setsuna nodded slowly. "I think I see. And the only reason why this is possible now is because Sara, as well as Lucifer in the form of Kira, helped to screw up the word curse beyond recognition, isn't it? Whereas Gabriel had never fallen in the first place, and her retreat was an anomaly caused by Layla-Sevotharte." A swift nod. Frowning, Setsuna continued "We've talked it over before, and I know it'll be unlikely that either Alex or Gabriel will ever want to resurface entirely, because they seemed so tired of everything. But the thing is, _we_ are tired too, and to be frank, I've had more than enough of angels."

The angel of death sighed, resting a hand on Setsuna's shoulder. "I understand, truly I do. And I would never force anything on you." A light breeze blew through the room, ruffling the black feathered-wings that had reappeared and were now furled tightly against his back. "But the truth is, even if you were to return as a human, you would be… very much as you are now, with angelic powers lying dormant only to burst forth at moments of strong emotion. Because that is how this world works: There _must_ be a balance between the four elemental powers, just as there _must_ be organic and inorganic powers, as well as powers of 'good' versus 'evil'. Nothing ever completely vanishes, and anything that is taken away must be redistributed somewhere else. For the same reason, there will eventually be reincarnations of both Rociel and Lucifel, just as there is for Zaphkiel."

A sharp gasp accompanied this statement. "Zaphkiel is…?"

"Indeed," he replied. "He requested to be born to Raziel and his wife. To fulfill a past debt, he said. It was permitted."

"Does Raziel know?"

Slender fingers brushed through his hair as a wistful smile touched his lips. "I have not told either of them. I deemed it best to let the past rest, and give all of them a clean slate."

A similar expression crossed Setsuna's face. "He probably suspects by now."

"Given his gift, it is probable, yes," Uriel replied easily, "but he will not ask, and as long as I do not confirm it, they will not know for sure."

"And Katou?"

"Katou too, has gone on ahead", he answered, sorrow momentarily clouding his face.

"Oh!" Startled by the exclamation, Uriel found himself staring straight into the eyes of Sara Mudou, so much like her brother's, not only in terms of colour, but also in the way that they seemed able to pierce straight into a person's soul, and Uriel felt as though he had been stripped bare of all his shields. It was uncomfortably like the confession with her brother all those years ago. "You… You've had to be there, haven't you? You've had to… watch as everyone… people you knew…"

Unable to endure it any longer, he cut in "Please Miss Sara, enough. It is… not all that bad, really. I am used to my job, and besides—" he found his eyes traveling towards the door through which Doll had exited hours before "—I have… met the person I love, and realized the truth. I am happy."

Twin pairs of golden-brown eyes widened in recognition of Adam Kadamon's last words. Finally, Setsuna Mudou broke into a genuine smile and murmured sincerely "Then… I am glad for you."

They stood then, almost simultaneously, leaving three empty tea cups resting delicately on the glass of the tabletop. Reaching the center of the room, Setsuna Mudou, reincarnation of the organic angel Alexiel and former Messiah, turned to face Uriel for one last time. "I've made my choice. I accept. On one condition." He gazed intently at the other. "When Sara and I return, when we are old enough to understand, I want you to tell us everything, right down to the last detail."

Brows drew together "Why?"

"Because I played a part. Because while I agree that the past should remain in the past, I also feel that there is a need for remembrance, to avoid making the same mistakes over and over. It's the same reason that you're still using that voice simulator, even though Raphael could easily heal it for you, am I right?" Setsuna smiled at the startled look on the other's face. "But above all, it's because friends do not bear their burdens alone."

Sara nodded in agreement, and the two against each other as they waited for Uriel's answer. Wonder filled him, and the happiness showed, even as tears brimmed. "Done."

Then it was truly time. Stepping forward, he took hold of the lovers' intertwined hands. As the light flared, he finally permitted the tears to fall, and he whispered "Goodbye, my Messiah. Fare well wherever you may fare."

The light intensified, and in the moment right before it all ended, there came an answering whisper, like the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind.

"_Goodbye. And… Thank you."_

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Owari

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Author's note: I know the flow sucks, I know the characterization is off, and I know the entire thing is probably rife with grammatical and spelling mistakes. Trouble is, I've just spent the last two days plowing through all twenty volumes of Angel Sanctuary (I have never watched the anime. Can't find it.), and the whole of today churning this monstrosity out, and it is past midnight. I would wait and go through a few more drafts of this, but somehow I just can't be bothered anymore, and the only reason why I wrote it is because the scene just wouldn't leave me alone . I promise I'll come back and clean this up eventually, but in the meantime, tell me what you think of it, ok?**


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